Environmental Awareness Week

Going Green at The British International School of Marbella

One of the best parts of being a teacher is the feeling you are making a difference to children's lives and society in general, and this was certainly the case during our school´s Environmental Awareness Week.

Whilst some of the older children watched Leonardo Di Caprio in Before The Flood, which showcases the devastating effects of climate change, the age group I teach started the week by watching the movie The Lorax. Its cautionary message was not lost on them. My favourite line in the movie was "Our research shows that people will buy ANYTHING if you put it in a plastic bottle!" This led perfectly into the children´s "Team Tap" literacy lessons which were based on comparing tap water with bottled water and the latter´s environmental impact.

We were also lucky enough to have some special visitors come to our school. Local environmental activist Safia Spana, kindly stopped by and spoke with the children in their Spanish classes about reducing, reusing and recycling and some of the clean ups she is involved in on the Costa del Sol.

Pancho Campo, someone who has organised several international conferences on Climate Change and has worked alongside the American Vice-President, Al Gore, also visited our school and presented to our school´s oldest children about global environmental challenges and how we can all help by making changes, even small ones, like taking less time in the shower! (I´ve been trying since!)

Many of the children also got to enjoy a picture book, Little Angelica To Save Our Sea, with its very important environmental message. Year 3 were lucky enough to have a video interview with its author and illustrator Keith Siddle, which was another fantastic experience in a great week.

Unfortunately a wet forecast postponed our plans for a clean up of a local beach and other themed trips, but it was a mere delay. The following week Year’s 5 and above went on a hike from Juanar, taking in the incredible countryside that is so close to us here, whilst Years 4 and below visited the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Torremolinos.

All classes also took part in a beach clean up in Marbella. Many of our staff and children are already regular attendees at beach clean ups organised by Costa del Sol initiative, Plastic Free Seas Worldwide.

The week left us all at The British International School of Marbella energised and more determined than ever to make a difference by making choices that will impact positively on the future of our planet.

Ian Holden

Year 3 Teacher